A Call For A PrincessCHAP3 UP!
by taiorakissinginbed
Summary: Taichi's had memories of the princess of the 'real' world for years. However, those memories are fogged. Now, he's gonna wind up having them come to light & his greatest destiny's bound to follow.
1. Once Upon A Long Time Ago

A Call For A Princess  
A DA02 Fan Fiction  
Written By: Christina Burnfield

About: When Taichi was four King Tanasaki was murdered, and since then no one alive has any idea of the where-a-bouts or information as to who the princess or queen is. Today, Sora's begun dating Yamato, and Taichi's watchful eye is about to discover not only his own memories, but the fading of a princess once known by all.

AUTHOR'S COMMENTS: More Yamato Bashing!!! Yeah!! Sorry to all people out there who liked Yamato, but I never did, and for many more reasons other than the Sorato thing. After having many uncomfortable thoughts in my head of this one scene I decided to write it into a fan fiction to let go some of the anger. You'll find that scene in chapter 2. Well, enjoy.

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CHAPTER 1 – Once Upon A Long Time Ago

"If anything should ever happen to me, I want you to watch over and do all you can to protect my darling daughter and wife," King Tanasaki said to four year-old Taichi Yagami. "I know you are very young, but in time I know in the deepest part of me that if anything should ever happen that you'll be the one who can save them from anything; even their own selves."

Taichi was sitting beside the king of the 'real' world (Kykaw) discussing what almost sounded like a will. The young boy leaned backward onto the velvet red blankets of the King and Queen's mattress and replied with a sense of determination in his voice, "Don't worry. Nothing's gonna happen, but if it does I'll protect the princess and queen with my total soul. They'll have to get past that to get to them."

The greatest king of all always knew whom to trust, and could see greatness and potential through anyone's spirit, which is what people believed made him such a great ruler; even in such a newer year as 2005. Taichi and King Tanasaki had become almost as close as father and son, even though that was far from truth.

"Well, it's getting late, and I must return to my duties. Go keep my daughter happy for the next couple hours," the king finally said after a long conversation.

Taichi adored those words. Even though he was only four years old, he'd had a bit of a childish crush on her for a little over a year now.

The young princess wiped some sweat from her forehead and then continued dusting the windows of her room. There were hand maids, but her parents had insisted that she learn early in life that it's not all fun and games all the time.

"Hey Michelle, your dad said you could stop cleaning and play with me for a while," young Taichi began running into the princess's bedroom.

"Never dare address the princess in such a manner," one of the young female knights-in-training warned him.

"Oh, cool your jets Miyuzami. Me and her are best friends, right Michelle?" Taichi replied to the ten-year-old girl. Taichi had always been very brave to stand up to those older and more skilled then himself.

The young princess simply nodded and then added cheerfully, "C'mon, let's go play some of the arcade games!"

They took off out the door running up the hallway racing each other to the game room at the other end of it. Suddenly Princess Michelle tripped over her dress.

"Are you okay?" Taichi asked rushing to her side.

"Yeah, I'm all right. Wish mom didn't make me wear dresses all the time. I wanna wear t-shirts and shorts or pants," the young princess replied getting back up to her feet. "C'mon, let's hurry," she replied excited grabbing his arm and then dragging him the rest of the distance down the hallway.

After playing a couple hours of racing on the arcades they played some air hockey on the miniature air hockey table in the center of the room. The puck whisked back and forth across the white surface as the two young children laughed.

"You know what, but I swore to your father that I'd always protect you with my soul. He's such a great guy, and he has a pretty daughter too," Taichi said out of instinct without even thinking about it.

The young girl blushed. Then she walked over to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks," she added.

Taichi had been taken back by the kiss. He'd never expected or felt anything like that before. Without thinking he reached over and kissed her back on the lips.

Michelle and Taichi both felt something new coming over them. Taichi placed his hand to her cheek as the kiss continued until the sound of a shriek halted it.

"How dare you touch my daughter," Queen Tanasaki yelled at young Taichi Yagami.

The young knight-in-training felt his heart sink for the first time in his life. It was something he never wanted to feel again. Unfortunately, unaware to him it would happen many more in his life time.

"What happened?" King Tanasaki asked his wife alarmed.

"He was harassing our daughter," she replied pointing at Taichi.

All of a sudden the two of them and a few guards started to yell and scold emotionally at Taichi.

After a few moments of trying to get their attention Michelle screamed at the top of her lungs, "I KISSED HIM FIRST!"

Everyone looked straight puzzled at the young princess for a moment. Then they turned to Taichi and apologized firmly.

Michelle winked at him and Taichi simply smiled. Then they took off to play once more, while everyone else resumed their duties.

Eleven years later Taichi had had his heartbroken once again after being told by the only girl he'd ever truly loved that she wanted to be with someone else. His ex-best friend to be exact.

"I'll bring you by some cookies later, okay?" Sora said before turning from him and heading towards her Yamato's location.

"I'll be waiting," was his only response he let out softly under his breath.

After Sora stopped by he headed out to the park for a walk leaving Agumon at home. He stopped in front of the ice rink and plopped himself on a bench.

"Why? Why me? I stood by Sora all the time. I did everything possible to make her happy. So, why does she leave me like this? And to of all people, asshole Yamato?" he asked himself sitting there. Then he looked up at the rink that seemed to shimmer under the midnight moonlight. Taichi got to his feet, put on his skates and went out skating on the rink. He did several jumps and other tricks across the ice. He had always been almost as good at skating as he was at soccer, maybe better, but he never liked to tell anyone. There were many talents he had which he had that he never told anyone about. Then slowing down he looked up at the Full Christmas moon. "Where are you Michelle?" he said with a soft sigh. "Where's the legendary princess I loved more than anything or anyone else?"

"I've been asking myself pretty close to the same question," he heard an almost familiar voice say from behind him.

Taichi turned around to see a girl he hadn't seen for many years. "Miyuzami, it's been a long time. How've you been?"

"Pretty good. Back in June I got married to Kyle Burns, and when I was a small child I joined and trained to become part of the Elite Guardian Forces in Sakakuu," she replied with a smile.

"Oh, congrats. I hope you two are happy together," he replied.

"We're very happy. We're both Elite Guardians and travel together on our missions looking for adventure and justice." Then looking up at the sky she added changing the subject, "Right now, more than anything I wanna see King Tanasaki's killer hung and Princess Michelle back on the throne."

"So, why are you here?" he asked.

"I heard you knew who and where Princess Michelle and Queen Tanasaki were. I've come to find them, which is why I've come looking for you," she replied sounding determined.

"Huh?" he replied with a shock in his voice.

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Well, what did you think of chapter one? Gomenesai that it was short, but I promise the next ones will be longer. Oh, and I know this chapter didn't seem PG-13, but after this the adult stuff will come into play.

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	2. A Quest To Uncloud Fogged Memories

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About my comments before the beginning of chapter one, the actual scene that I'm dying to put into this story will not actually happen 'til chapter 3 "A Princess Gone Downhill". I thought about things, and I don't wanna rush through this story too much. It'd make it to dull and boring. Well, enjoy.  
  
Terms In This Chapter:  
Fried Octopus Rolls: These are a very nice food you'll find in Japan. They're basically a nicely fried pastry with a bit of octopus meat in the center. If you like seafood you'll love these things. They don't look like octopus when they're served either. I know how many people don't like things to look like what they are when put on their plate.  
  
Pocky Sticks: An Asian snack orginated in Japan, but sold in many of the surrounding countries as well. These are a biscuit snack covered in a creme-like coating. These things are very addictive, and if you have a China Town or Little Tokyo nearby you're bound to find them there.  
  
Swallow: No, this isn't the kind that comes in the eating part that comes after chewing. This kind of swallow is a double edged blade with a grip in between. If you've ever played Chrono Cross, a swallow is Serge's first weapon.  
  
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Chapter 2 - A Quest To Uncloud Fogged Memories  
  
A silence between the two inidividuals commenced, which lastest for at least five minutes before Taichi spoke up once more. "Miyuzami, my memories are practically in the gutter. I do remember what happened, but the faces and voices are clouded. You were older than me. Don't you remember anything?"  
  
"Unfortunately no I don't. Because of the work I got myself into, over the years I've had damages on my head, which has caused bits of memory loss," she replied walking away from him slowly. "I wish there was a way to remember, but I doubt there is."  
  
FLASHBACK BEGINS  
  
"Taichi, if anything should ever come up we can use this passage to get in and out of the palace. Daddy told me to tell you that. Oh and by the way, I know one other we can use to sneak in and out in the middle of the night," the young princess told him before giving him a peck on the cheek.  
  
FLASHBACK ENDS  
  
It had hit him. He knew how to get his memories back. It was a small chance, but it might as well been worth taking. "Wait Miyuzami. I think I've got an idea." Taichi explained briefly what Princess Michelle had told him and the two of them were off.  
  
About fifteen minutes later Taichi & Miyuzami were in front of the hidden entrance to Kykaw's palace. Now stood before them was one more problem.  
  
"So, how do we get in?" Miyuzami asked giving Taichi a quick annoyed firm stare.  
  
"Use the security bar." He flipped a section on the side of the wall only to reveal a set of security features.  
  
"Do you remember what to do?"  
  
"Yup. I wrote it down and put it inside the locket Michelle gave me to hold onto," he replied pulling a gold locket from underneath his shirt.  
  
Suddenly a phone rang. Miyuzami reached into her coat pocket, pulled out her cel phone, pressed the talk button and said holding it to her ear, "Hello. Miyuzami Sakamoto speaking."  
  
"Hun. Where are you? I've been worried," came the voice on the other end.  
  
"Sweety, I'll be late tonight. We're at the Ramada Inn on the sixth floor, right?"  
  
"Yeah. It's room 604. Who are you with?" he asked beginning to sound a little upset that she'd walked out on their special night.  
  
"Taichi Yagami. We're trying to get into the palace. We wanna find out some information to figure out who and where the royal family is," she replied. Then changing her voice to sound a little romantic she added, "I'm sorry about this, but don't worry, I got a special surprise for you when I get there."  
  
"Nope. I'm coming down there. Where is it?" he said firmly.  
  
Miyuzami gave her husband some quick directions and then the two of them hung up after a quick goodbye.  
  
"I got it. The door won't stay open long, so we must hurry," Taichi explained running through the small door.  
  
"What about my husband? He said he was coming down here," Miyuzami asked worried.  
  
"Then stay here," he replied. Then he handed her the locket. "Here's the instructions to get in." Taichi allowed the doors to close. Then lit a glow stick for some light and began to make his way down the tunnel. "Huh? I figured this place would be covered in filth and mice, but it's actually quite nice down here. It's probably because of that bubble shield thing though. The red carpet's actually a nice touch. Just makes you wonder why they'd spend that much on a secret tunnel," he thought to himself as he walked along looking around him.  
  
A few moments later Taichi lifted up a floor tile revealing the throne room. He climbed the ladder and for once in eleven years Taichi stood inside the room where King and Queen Tanasaki would most commonly be found in the past.  
  
Suddenly, something caught his eye. Sitting on the princess's seat was her old hat she used to wear outside while she'd been gardening during the warm summer days. Her mother had always had a thing for flowers, and had always insisted that Michelle help her out with the work. He picked it up and turned it over to look at the tag. However, all that was on the tag was the Royal Family Crest and the name Princess Michelle Tanasaki. It seemed almost hopeless, 'til one more clue caught his attention. There was a strand of hair caught to the rim of the hat. Taichi pulled it off and examined it for a moment, but got nothing. He needed more light to see, so he searched the walls and eventually found the light switch. However, as he proceeded to take a look at the strand of hair he realized he'd dropped it. "Ah, dammnit!" he exclaimed sending a punch at the wall. "I was so fuckin' close to a good clue!"  
  
Next he wandered off looking around. As he entered the kitchen he found a recipe for what used to be his and Michelle's favorite appetizer; Fried Octopus Rolls. Then he found some old boxes of Bluebery Mousse flavored Pocky Sticks. Taichi opened them and took a sniff, followed by a quick taste test. They seemed okay, so he started munching them down. "Thank God these things don't go bad easily," he said to himself taking another bite.  
  
Meanwhile back outside by the hidden entrance Miyuzami sat on a small pillow she always kept with her waiting for her husband to arrive. Suddenly, it began to snow and the young woman held her tongue out trying to catch a few snowflakes.  
  
"There you are," she heard a voice say from behind her.  
  
Miyuzami turned her head to see her husband Kyle standing there. "You didn't bring the car?" she asked.  
  
"No. I didn't wanna attract any attention," he replied before adding, "What's all this about finding the royal family? I thought we were supposed to spend Christmas Eve alone together this year. After all, it is the holidays, and as Elite Guardians we get very little time off from our duties."  
  
"We just need to find some information and then we'll go back to the hotel and enjoy the rest of the Christmas holidays together, okay?" she replied before giving him a kiss on the lips.  
  
He smiled blushing and replied, "Okay, but make this trip worth my time."  
  
The two of them began to passionately French kiss.  
  
Back inside Taichi was still wandering around the palace looking for information while muching down eleven-year-old Pocky Sticks. Suddenly, he walked by his old room that King Tanasaki had assigned to only him for whenever he'd stay over night. Realizing this, he stopped and entered the room.  
  
FLASHBACK BEGINS  
  
"Hey Taichi, c'mon wake up," the princess said softly tapping him on the side of the arm. "Time to go out to the park."  
  
"Huh? How'd you get in here without getting caught?" young Taichi asked with a yawn stretching his arms.  
  
"This room is usually intended for my personal bodyguard, so there's a secret passage into my room through the fireplace that goes both ways," she explained before handing him his jacket and giving him a peck on the cheek.  
  
FLASHBACK ENDS  
  
"How come every time I have a flashback I never get a face?" he asked himself. "It's almost like my memories are trying to hide something from me." Noticing a box full of old stuff he sat down and began to go through it hoping that he'd find at least a clue to whatever his memories were trying to keep from him. "What could my memories be possibly trying to keep me from knowing? What happened in the past that my subconscious wants to suppress?" he pondered as he scavenged through everything.  
  
Meanwhile Miyuzami and Kyle had just made it into the throne room. They brushed themselves off and took off their jackets.  
  
"Wow, it's been such a long time since we were last here," Miyuzami said looking at everything around her.  
  
"Yeah it has. I wonder where Taichi is around here," Kyle replied leaving the throne room and entering another, which had nothing but two doors and a staircase. Figuring that Taichi had already searched those two rooms Miyuzami and him ascended to the next floor.  
  
Back in his old bedroom the teenage knight-in-training was still rummaging through the box when suddenly he pulled out a photo. Wiping the dust off revealed it had been torn and that the person in the photo was none other than King Tanasaki.  
  
FLASHBACK BEGINS  
  
"Taichi, this room is yours. As absurd as many of my other royal guards believe this to be I want you to always be closest to my daughter. That is why I'm giving you the room next to her's," the king told him. Finally a face stood where a blur had been before. His hair was brown and he was cross-eyed. His left eye was green and the other was brown. He had a stern yet caring warm face. One that was welcoming to his friends, family and allies while struck fear into his enemies. "You know what Taichi, but I would be honored if one day you grew up to be my son-in-law," King Tanasaki added with a smile. Then he left to attend to his duties.  
  
FLASHBACK ENDS  
  
"Huh? Did I really mean that much to him? I wonder why," he asked himself. "Still, I wish it had've been Michelle's photo I found. Hey, maybe the other half of the photo's in here somewhere," he rambled to himself out loud before beginning to rummage through the box once more.  
  
After looking for ten minutes he found the other half of the picture, but the only people who were in it were himself and Miyuzami. Then he left that room and entered Michelle's.  
  
Surpisingly, the room was neat and tidy. Michelle had always been the direct opposite. She'd throw her dirty clothes on the dresser top or bed 'til the maids picked them up, unless her mother got on her case about it, which happened every time she was caught in the act. Well, that's how she'd been for as long as he'd known her anyhow. Taichi wondered if she'd picked up the habit from him, which was most likely the case. He opened the bottom dresser drawer to find on the top pile of things a photo of himself standing beside King Tanasaki, and behind them in the pool was a small girl. Taichi looked hard at the picture, but it was too difficult to make out who the person was, since a patio chair was blocking the view and the individual was too far to the other side of the swimming pool. Still, his gut feeling told him exactly who it was. It absolutely must've been her.  
  
After looking through the drawer he turned his head to see something he remembered that King Tanasaki told him that he wasn't supposed to get into, because it was highly confidential, and if the information ever got out it could put his family in serious danger. It was a locked file cabinet. "There has to be a way to pry that open," he said to himself looking around him for something he could use as a crowbar.  
  
"Here, use my swallow," he heard a voice from behind him say.  
  
Taichi turned his head to see Kyle Burns standing there offering out his weapon. "Maybe you should do it. I was never taught how to use that weapon."  
  
By the doorway stood Miyuzami dreamily staring at her husband while playing with her hair. Finally speaking up she said, "Is there anything you need me to do?"  
  
"How 'bout you and Taichi clean up the mess from the princess's dresser?" Kyle replied throwing his jacket onto the bed.  
  
While Miyuzami and Taichi cleaned up the mess Kyle working on prying the file cabinet open.  
  
"I ccann'tt believe hhoww ssttifff thiss thinngg is," Kyle said struggling with the file cabinet.  
  
Suddenly, the top drawer of the cabinet came flying open and an envelope sailed out and landed in front of Taichi.  
  
Curious he opened the brown envelope and pulled out the papers inside. There in front of him was the answer the three of them had been looking for. It read:  
  
ROYAL BIRTH CIRTIFICATE  
  
Name: Tanasaki, Sora Michelle  
Birthdate: May 5, 2001  
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan  
Blood Type: B  
  
"There's no way. It couldn't be," he thought to himself. Then he pulled back the certificate, and there smack dab in front of him was the perfect photo of Michelle, or should I say Sora Takenouchi.  
  
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Sorry for leaving you all hanging again, but I hope you're all happy with the results of the end of chapter 2. Btw, Miyuzami and Kyle are going to eventually become very significant characters later on. Oh, and if any of you have a hunch that Yamato's King Tanasaki's killer he isn't. Just think over facts. It's impossible. Yamato would've only been five years-old. After all, he is one year older than Taichi. Well, I'll have chapter 3 up asap.  
  
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	3. A Princess Gone Downhill

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OMG!! This chapter is where I finally get to do that scene I've been waiting for. Anyhow, this is where Sora really gets to come into play of this. Oh, and to all you TAIORA fans out there, don't forget I'm one too. Their time to shine will come soon enough. I also get to do some Yamato bashing... finally! Yeah!! Well, enjoy!

Terms In This Chapter:  
Koibito: Japanese for sweetheart  
Gomenesai: Japanese for I'm sorry

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Chapter 3 - A Princess Gone Downhill

Walking home Taichi held the envelope in his arms. Miyuzami and Kyle had left him to head back to their hotel room. He still couldn't believe that the one girl he'd always cherished and remembered was the same one that had broken his heart only no more than six hours ago. "Why? How come back then she loved only me? She'd give me a peck on the cheek every morning I was around, and now she couldn't give a damn even if I were to commit suicide," he asked himself. "Well, I guess I better stop by the bank first," Taichi added checking his wallet.

Meanwhile, Yamato was walking towards the park with Gabumon. In Yamato's hand however was something that almost no one would've expected. Tucked inside a small brown paper bag was marijuana.

"That was a nice deal I got from Sora, huh?" Yamato stated proud of himself. "Five-hundred yen for five pounds of this stuff is one heck of a price. She might as well be givin' it away."

"I don't think that it was a good idea though," Gabumon replied sounding hesitant on the idea.

"Ah c'mon, don't be such a spoil sport. I'll let you give it a try when we get to the park," Yamato insisted not paying one bit of attention to the words of advice his digimon was trying to give him.

"Just one question though. Why get Sora to be the dealer instead of you just selling it yourself?" the digimon asked.

"Cuz, if I was doing it then I could go to prison, but since she is she'll be the one to do the time if she gets caught. Besides, since I'm dating her I can get it for pretty close to free, and with the right persuasion I can get her to buy me stuff with at least half of the cash she makes off it." (Slime ball, huh?)

As Taichi entered the bank he pulled his card and passbook from his back pocket. _"What should I say to her and her mother anyhow? Should I even say anything at all? Would Kykaw work out just great if it never saw the Royal Family again?"_ he pondered to himself as he slipped his card into the electronic teller machine.

"Welcome. Please enter your pin number," the machine said.

Taichi entered in his number. "Well, I'll just update my book and make the withdrawal afterwards. Then update it again," he said punching in a few buttons.

Afterwards he walked out of the bank and opened his passbook to take a quick look at it when he noticed something strange. "I never made a withdrawal of 100,000 yen! What happened to it?!" he exclaimed freaking out over the situation. "That cash was part of my college savings. How could it just go missing like that?"

Meanwhile Sora sat up in bed swigging back a small bottle of red wine. Then she got up, quietly changed and snuck out of the apartment.

Finding her way past her apartment building she took off into an alleyway where a group of teenagers waited. "Okay, I got everyone's orders," she said keeping her voice down. Then she took the cash and handed them the merchandise.

Taichi walked by that alleyway when he heard what he swore was Sora's voice. He turned the corner and flipped the switch on his flashlight. In front of him was a sight he just couldn't believe the slightest bit.

The group of teenagers took off and Taichi and Sora were left alone.

"Sora, what're you doing out here? Please tell me it isn't what it looks like," he said shocked.

"Thanks for chasing away all my customers!" Sora replied in an angry sarcastic tone of voice.

"Sora, are you feeling alright?" he asked softly ignoring her previous comment. "You've been worrying me lately," he added walking closer to her.

"Taichi, I'm fine. I'm just completely peachy. There's no reason to worry about me. Besides, did you forget? I'm not your girlfriend. It's not your job to worry about me," she said rambling on in denial.

"Just because we're not dating doesn't mean that I can't worry about you," he said in a caring voice attempting to put his arms around her as some comfort.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled angrily.

Taichi knew that right now was hopeless, so the best he could do is keep an eye on her 'til he could get some more information. With that realization, he turned around and began heading home. He hated leaving her there like that, but what else was he supposed to do at the moment?

"Hey, where've you been?" Hikari asked as Taichi walked through the apartment door. "Mom and Dad have been worried sick about you. They even went out to look for you," she told him before noticing the mood he was in. "Is something wrong?"

Taichi simply waddled past his sister without giving her an answer of any kind and entered his room. Then he flopped out on his bed, kicked off his shoes and fell fast asleep.

The next morning the sunlight beamed through his window blinding him as he opened his eyes to the new day. As he opened his windows the snow on the ledge fell and a few flakes that managed through the screen hit him in the face.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully for some unknown reason to his family whom were sitting on the floor handing out each other's stockings, so they could all rummage through them to see what they'd received.

"Well, you seem much more happier than last night," Hikari said smiling as she handed him his stocking.

"Why? What was wrong with me last night?" he replied pulling a box of Turtles Chocolates from his stocking.

"You didn't tell me. You just walked right by me without saying a thing."

"Taichi, did you get drunk last night!?" Mrs. Yagami yelled. "You know you're too young for that!"

"No mom. It was nothing like that. I just wasn't feeling myself last night," he explained followed by a soft sigh. "Last night I found Sora out in one of the alleyways. She seemed like something was terribly wrong, but unfortunately she's in serious denial. I tried to do what I could, but nothing seemed to get through to her. All she wanted to do was yell and scream at me." Taichi bowed his head looking at the floor and added; his voice fully of self pity, "I just wanted to help her. I'm scared something bad's gonna happen to Sora if I don't do something."

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself, but you know, you should do whatever your heart tells you to do about it, and always trust that self instinct you get," his mother replied beginning to understand how he felt. "Now, let's forget about this for the moment and open some presents," she added changing her emotions instantly to cheerful.

Taichi began to try and forget it as he opened his wonderful Christmas gifts, but the truth was that the most wonderful thing in the world was Sora, and right now she was in trouble. He just had to save her. He kept looking down at the crest on his left wrist. It wasn't the crest of courage. It was a tattoo crest he'd received for becoming a knight-in-training. As he completed each section of the training one more symbol would be added, 'til there was a total of nine symbols surrounding the main section of the crest. Once that had happened he'd be declared a fully trained knight. Still, whether or not his training was completed he still felt an obligation to Sora. King Tanasaki had told him the most important tip to fighting. Unfortunately, he still didn't understand what his words had meant. "What does it mean? 'Watch your enemy before your opponent'. What is that supposed to mean?" he asked himself under his breath.

Meanwhile Miyuzami and Kyle were lying in bed cuddled up naked. The two of them intertwined their fingers together, and Kyle was running his fingers of his other hand through her hair.

Miyuzami leaned upwards and kissed her husband on the lips. Even though this was one of their special moments she had something on her mind. "Hun, how come the Elite Guardians haven't been able to catch King Tanasaki's killer when they've encountered him so many times?" she asked softly sounding a tad depressed.

"Probably, cause as much as he's feared by so many everyday individuals he's a coward when it comes to facing someone more skilled and powerful than he is. Basically, he's like your school yard bully. He picks on the weak, but takes off when the teacher's coming," Kyle replied. "How come you brought that up now? Are you feeling alright koibito?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a sigh. "I guess it's just 'cause I can't get it out of my head. I saw Kykaw's king killed right before my eyes."

"Well, I think a nice hot bath might help you get it off your mind for right now," he replied romantically flirting as he got up out of bed. Then Kyle leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"When I find him I'm not letting that bastard son-of-a-bitch go. He's gonna face the music, whether he likes it or not. I'm going to personally strip him of his knighthood and his head myself," Miyuzami said angrily as she entered the bathroom.

"Ah c'mon, relax, clear your head and let's take a bath. Then we'll go have breakfast."

That afternoon Taichi walked over to Sora's apartment to speak to them about the envelope he'd found. He was about to knock on the door when it opened and a man in what appeared to be his mid to late forties stomped out shouting at Mrs. Takenouchi. He appeared to be terribly drunk. Taichi couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he'd sworn that he'd seen that man before some point in his life.

"THE ANSWER IS NO!" she yelled, her lungs exhausted from the argument.

The man raised his hand, and was about to strike her face when a hand grabbed hold. He looked over to see Taichi's hand a hold of his wrist.

"Keep your filthy hands off her! Don't you ever even attempt to hit her or anyone else like that again!" Taichi said angrily firm before throwing down the man's wrist. The teenager gave him a warning stare and the man walked away and entered the elevator.

"Thank you Taichi. You really are a saint," Mrs. Takenouchi said relieved.

"You're welcome. By the way, who was that? His face looks SO familiar, like I've seen him before in the distant past somewhere," the teenager asked.

"That's Sir Yoshiaki Sakamoto. He's always been a blessing to this family, but unfortunately ever since eleven years ago he's been very depressed. As a result he tends to be hooked on the alcohol quite a bit and he's a violent drunk," Mrs. Takenouchi explained before adding, "Are you here to see Sora? She's at the park this afternoon."

Taichi couldn't quite figure it out, but he'd heard the name Sakamoto before. _"Where do I know that name from?"_ he pondered to himself. "Uh no I'm not. I came to talk to you actually," he finally replied.

After a long conversation Mrs Takenouchi admitted that she and her daughter were the missing Royal Family, and that she did not know who had killed her husband. She had been there, but the screams of pain and fire before them had dulled her sight and hearing when it had happened. Many other men, women and children had lost their lives that day as well. It had been a day of great tragedy and slaughter on around 1000 lives.

Still, what Mrs Takenouchi had told him had been blurred even by her own memories. Then something caught his mind. Sora had been holding in her hands last night the one thing that might've been the answer to everyone's memory loss on the subject. Drugs. With this realization Taichi thanked Mrs Takenouchi and headed over to Koshiro's place.

"Who is it?" Koshiro asked from inside his apartment. He had been playing computer games with his girlfriend Amanda all day.

"It's Taichi. I have something really important I need to talk to you about," he replied raising his voice a little.

"Yeah okay," Koshiro said slipping back on his shirt. "I'll be right there." Then he turned to Amanda and said quietly, "Don't start getting too affectionate or anything while he's here, okay? Taichi'll have a field day if he finds out were heavily dating. It wouldn't surprise me if he brought CNN here about it."

"Okay. You don't have anything to worry about. I'll grab my books and make it look like you were trying to give me some tutoring," Amanda replied quietly. Then she wiped the smudged lipstick from her face with a tissue and brought out her study material. Then she set the books down on the coffee table and opened them.

Koshiro opened the apartment door. "C'mon in. So, what's the matter?" he said to his best friend.

Taichi walked through the doorway, took off his jacket and slipped off his shoes. Then he replied, "Close the door and I'll start." Taichi looked up to notice Amanda sitting on the floor working on her homework. "Is she still living here?" he asked pointing at the long black haired; emerald eyed girl a few feet in front of him.

"Yeah, of course. Where else is she gonna go? There anything wrong with that?" Koshiro replied looking at his girlfriend smiling.

"No, of course not. Did your foster parents adopt her too?"

"They took her in if that's what you mean. It's impossible to adopt someone that doesn't even have any records of being born in the first place," he began before turning to his girlfriend and adding, "...right Amanda?"

"Yup," she replied cheerfully with a bright smile on her face. Then she turned to Taichi and added, "Sussus. Nijai na tauté?"

"Huh? What did you just say?" Taichi asked confused.

"That's Atlantian for 'Hello. How are you?' So, how have you been?" Amanda explained as Taichi sat down on the couch.

"I'm alright I guess. You didn't tell me you were from Atlantis. Koshiro said that you were technically over 3000 years old and physically only 14, but never told me where you were from. What was Atlantis like?" Taichi replied fascinated and excited over the information he'd just received.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now," she replied depressed like there was something about the subject eating her up inside. Then changing the subject she said cheerfully, "Is it okay if I sit in on what you need to discuss with m.... Koshiro?" Amanda had almost slipped in calling him her boyfriend, but after her quick correction she let off a mental sigh of relief.

"Yeah, it's perfectly okay." Taichi looked around him. "Speaking of Koshiro, where did he go anyway?"

"Right here," came a reply as he walked into the living room with a tray of food. "Just thought I'd grab some snacks first." Koshiro put down the tray and then sat down beside his best friend on the couch.

"Thanks," Taichi said dipping a chip. Then he said seriously, "Okay. The two of you MUST swear to never tell anyone else this information I'm about to tell you. Got it? This is something you absolutely must carry with you to your graves."

"We swear," the couple said in unison crossing their hearts.

Shoving a piece of cheese into his mouth, Taichi begun to explain everything he could tell them that had happened so far that his memory would allow him to. He told them about Sora being the princess, what he'd seen her doing, the past, Miyuzami, Kyle and anything else he could think of within the subject. ".... and so I decided to see you. Is there any kind of drug that could cause such type of memory loss?"

"Tons, but to be aimed at one genre of information the person would have to be unconscious when the drug was inserted into the body," Koshiro replied shocked by the story Taichi had just told him. He just couldn't believe that he'd known the Royal Family for at least four years now. Not to mention that Sora had gotten into drugs and Taichi had been knighted when he was only four years old. This was practically a war for justice and royalty. "Uh, Taichi. In about half an hour everyone's meeting at the park. Maybe you should come too. There's a chance we can do something or get some information on the subject."

"I'm going too," Amanda added brushing her hair with her fingers.

"Yeah, okay. I'll go too," Taichi replied. "Thanks for everything."

An hour later all the digidestined sat in the park chatting and munching down a few snacks. Taichi kept eyeing Sora and her surroundings. He was positive that the answer must've been related around her somehow, but just couldn't figure it out.

"Sora, would you grab me a Pepsi from the cooler?" Yamato asked his girlfriend.

"Okay. Regular, diet or lemon flavored?" she answered getting up. Her voice didn't sound normal though. She sounded like an android or drone.

"Regular. Oh, and grab one for Daisuke here as well," he replied lightly slapping Daisuke over the back.

As the conversation continued she still sounded the same way. She moved like it to. So, finally Taichi decided to give things a test. "Hey Sora, while you're up, would you mind grabbing me a couple Twinkies?" he said trying his best to sound cheerful.

Sora's voice suddenly turned to a sour drone as she answered, "You've got two working legs. Get 'em yourself."

Taichi was taken back by the remark, but what bothered him even more was the drone sound in her voice that didn't seem to leave whenever she spoke to anyone. Sora also didn't open her mouth unless she was spoken to first, which was very unusual. He wasn't entirely sure, but either the Sora he was looking at was a fake or she was being controlled somehow. Either way, he had to save her no matter what it took.

Several hours passed, and yet Taichi couldn't figure it out. Neither could anyone else for that matter. It was a deep mystery. Maybe this was so tough that even the legendary character detective Sherlock Holmes couldn't solve it.

As everyone headed home it finally snapped. Taichi had figured it out. Yamato always asked her to do everything and she'd do it. As for everyone else she wouldn't do it unless Yamato gave it an okay first. However, no matter what she'd never do anything for himself. _"Was it possible that Yamato had control of her? Would he actually stoop that low as to brainwashing his girlfriend? If so, what was Yamato truly after in the long run? Did he somehow know that she was King Tanasaki's daughter?"_ he pondered to himself. As he walked many more questions and suggestive solutions were added to his train of thought.

"Sora, you look a little pale. Are you feeling alright?" Taichi finally asked concerned about her.

"I'm just a little cold, but I'll be fine, so STOP TALKING TO ME!" she replied yelling the last bit. Her voice was also a very snippy and demanding drone as well.

Taichi's anger hit top floor at that moment and before he even realized what he was doing his fist hit Sora's face knocking her to the ground.

Everyone gasped. Well everyone except Yamato for some reason. They couldn't believe Taichi had just done that to her.

Sora got to her feet full of anger, and crying she ran off. Taichi chased after her trying to apologize, but couldn't manage to get close enough to say it to her.

As she approached a curve Sora just kept on running without looking first. Suddenly, a delivery truck came around a corner.

Taichi reached the curve only in time to notice the truck coming. Forgetting to catch his breath he ran out knocking her out of the way.

"OH SHIT!" the driver shouted as he hit the brakes. It jolted and skidded around the road.

"TAICHI!" Sora screeched running out to his side. For once her voice didn't sound like she was being controlled.

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What will happen to Taichi? Has Sora been broken apart from being controlled? Who was King Tanasaki's killer? Is Yamato a traitor? Find out the answer to these questions and more in the chapters to come. I'm already working on chapter 4 "A Royal Past Comes To Light", so keep your shirts on and I'll have it up ASAP. Oh btw, gomenesai for leaving you all hanging. One more thing. I'm looking for TAIORA & TAKARI wallpapers and screensavers for my computer. If anyone has any or can make up one I'd be most grateful if they could email it to me.

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